Counter Culture: Marcelle's fall line is party perfect

The funny thing about fashion is it’s always a season ahead: While regular folks are just beginning to slip into our summer whites, fashion-types are scooping up hot-off-the-runway fall styles. The same goes for cosmetics, meaning ladies in the know are anticipating the eventual update of this summer’s nude colour palette with the bold hues of autumn which — at least as far as Canadian cosmetics manufacturer Marcelle is concerned — means rich, deep reds for the pucker and night-on-the-town-ready sparkles and glitter for the peepers. From Marcelle, these come in the forms of the new, 12-shade Rouge Xpression line ($11.95 each), and Lux Diamond and Lux Metallic liquid liner ($11.95).

Here at Retail Therapy, we’re big fans of staying ahead of the curve, but test-driving Marcelle’s fall line raised an important question: Will the rich, heavy colours of autumn hold up to the sweltering heat of a smoggy Toronto summer? Knowing full well that layers of liquid liner and a thick coat of lipstick would take some getting used to regardless, I decided to put Marcelle’s new releases up to the ultimate test: Not only would I run the risk of my face melting off my, well, face in the dead-heat of a humid June evening, but I’d do so at a cocktail party.

As someone who rarely wears makeup, anything outside of a light coat of foundation and some mascara feels heavy and foreign ― much like thong sandals, it takes some getting used to. This was especially the case with the lipstick. But once I forced myself to become less conscious of the fact that there was a light coat of paint on my lips, and there was nothing uncomfortable about it: Marcelle’s Rouge Xpressions, which I wore in purplish-red Provocative, is light, coats evenly and doesn’t feel tacky or heavy after prolonged wear. And as the party hostess noted, the product looks great — the hues are dramatic, yes, but they’re not unnatural.

And how did the lipstick hold up to the rigors of nibbles and tipples? Well, my wine glass

was

clearly marked by a distinctive kiss-mark, and the colour faded a little more quickly than I expected it to — after about two hours. Nothing a quick re-application couldn’t fix.

The liner, on the other hand, is made to last, though the Lux Metallic is a bit finicky on the application and lacks somewhat in pizazz, whereas the Diamond line goes on smoothly, evenly and is unmistakeably glam. And by the end of the night, there was nary a sparkle out of place — in fact, a few even stuck around till the following morning.

For no good reason, his staff took a huge chunk of Trudeau’s feminist and reconciliation bona fides and ran them through the woodchipper

This Week's Flyers

Comments

Postmedia is pleased to bring you a new commenting experience. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. Visit our community guidelines for more information.